'Net Features : omnichannelhttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/tags/omnichannel/default.aspxTags: omnichannelenCommunityServer 2008 SP2 (Build: 31104.93)Sailing Through to Better Omnichannel Marketinghttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2015/07/27/sailing-through-to-better-omnichannel-marketing.aspxMon, 27 Jul 2015 16:05:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:45965Allison Howen0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=45965http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2015/07/27/sailing-through-to-better-omnichannel-marketing.aspx#comments<hr />
<p><strong>Omnichannel personalization and marketing company Sailthru has unveiled its official integration with hybris software, which makes it easier for retailers to manage data collection, build a single customer view and drive revenue through cross-channel engagement.</strong></p>
<p>Through the <a href="https://www.hybris.com/en/partner/hybris-extend/sailthru" target="_blank">integration</a>, hybris retailers are able to natively collect both purchase and user behavior data from hybris-powered websites, as well as attribute all onsite activities to individual customer profiles and incorporate clickstream data into personalized messages and recommendations in email, onsite and in mobile experiences.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Easily building a single view of the customer has long challenged retail marketers. They&rsquo;re aware of the value held in comprehensive user profiles. However, building, managing, and maintaining them as the volume of digital channels grows has been complicated by legacy technologies and data silos,&rdquo; said Neil Lustig, chief executive officer, <a href="http://www.sailthru.com/" target="_blank">Sailthru</a>. &ldquo;As a part of the hybris Extend marketplace, we&rsquo;re excited to bring Sailthru&rsquo;s native omnichannel data collection and cross-channel personalization capabilities to hybris customers so that they can continue on their road to transforming the customer experience using our modern technology.&rdquo;</p>
<p>It is important to note that Sailthru&rsquo;s prebuilt integration with the hybris Commerce Suite is easy to configure with retailer&rsquo;s websites. Plus, marketers leveraging both platforms can use Sailthru to send personalized email, deliver personalized onsite recommendations and in-app experiences. In fact, Sailthru experiences are informed or triggered by purchases, abandonment and other commerce-specific onsite behavior.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We are pleased to feature the Sailthru integration on hybris Extend, making it easier for our customers to drive customer loyalty and increase sales through relevant, personalized customer experiences delivered across every digital touchpoint,&rdquo; said Andre Dogan, Director Global Alliances, hybris and SAP Customer Engagement and Commerce. &ldquo;This integration will allow joint customers to truly take advantage of the opportunity held within the single customer view and deliver a modern retail experience.&rdquo;</p>
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<hr /><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=45965" width="1" height="1">hybriswm-ecommerceomnichannelSailthruIs Mobile Really Helping Your Business?http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2015/07/22/is-mobile-really-helping-your-business.aspxWed, 22 Jul 2015 17:13:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:45805Amberly Dressler2http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=45805http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2015/07/22/is-mobile-really-helping-your-business.aspx#comments<hr />
<p><strong>Consumers are using their smartphones to access brands like never before - spurring merchants and financial institutions to adopt various omnichannel tactics to ensure their end-users receive a similar experience regardless of touchpoint.</strong></p>
<p>A new quarterly index, however, will now - for the seemingly first time - measure the consistency of merchants&#39; omnichannel strategies - measured by real shopping experiences, to determine if the mobile channel is helping, hurting or simply neutral to the overall consumer experience. Released by PYMNTS.com and Vantiv, Inc., the &ldquo;PYMNTS.com OmniReadi Index powered by Vantiv&quot; includes in-depth research done by analysts in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle who shopped businesses across three channels &ndash; Web, mobile app and in-store. According to the two companies, these analysts captured data on 130 attributes of more than 100 retailers, which represents almost 50 percent of the total U.S. retail sales in eight merchant segments, including apparel, grocery, electronics and entertainment and sporting goods.</p>
<p>These merchants were then scored based on two key components: 1) The degree the online and in-store experience is consistent for consumers, and 2) If a merchant is adding value through mobile &ndash; through an app, a mobile website, or mobile-optimized website. </p>
<p>What the index shows is that not all merchants are performing at a high &quot;omnichannel&quot; level, as the average score by each merchant measured on a scale of 1 (low) to 100 (high), was 64 (a failing grade by most measurements). The entertainment and electronics vertical scored among the highest at 70. Clearly, there is a lot of work to be done.</p>
<p><img style="vertical-align:middle;margin:5px;" src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/omnichannel-index-score.png" width="600" height="223" alt="" /></p>
<p>&ldquo;The Index shows there is definitely a difference in experience as merchants look for ways to deliver consistent experiences for customers, wherever and however they want to shop,&rdquo; said Stephanie Polen, vice president of customer lifecycle products at Vantiv. &ldquo;Businesses need to consider these important trends and incorporate them when developing their overall strategy to serve their customers. Our expertise, technology, and solutions across the entire payments spectrum &ndash; mobile, ecommerce and POS &ndash; and a wide range of verticals can help merchants define and deliver a holistic and consistent omnichannel experience to their customers.&rdquo;</p>
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<hr /><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=45805" width="1" height="1">wm-mobileomnichannelPYMNTS.comVantivHow To Push Mobile to the Max to Provide an Omnichannel Experience http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2015/03/27/how-to-push-mobile-to-the-max-to-provide-an-omnichannel-experience.aspxFri, 27 Mar 2015 16:05:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:42224Administrator3http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=42224http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2015/03/27/how-to-push-mobile-to-the-max-to-provide-an-omnichannel-experience.aspx#comments<p>:: By Luke Rees ::
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<p>A recent report from Gartner has <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2956618">warned</a> that weak mobile customer service is harming customer engagement. The report predicts that marketers will need to be innovative in their customer engagement across all channels if they want their brand to remain relevant in 2015.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In support, a study from Dyn also <a target="_blank" href="http://internetretailing.net/2015/02/40-of-shoppers-unhappy-with-mobile-customer-experience-and-omni-channel-study-suggests/">found</a> 40 percent of UK customers are unhappy with the lack of an <a target="_blank" href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/ecommerce/archive/2014/02/24/3-omnichannel-marketing-tips-for-retailers.aspx">omnichannel</a> mobile customer experience. What, it seems, is holding this channel back?&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Omnichannel personalization: website vs. mobile browsing&nbsp;</h3>
<p>Smartphones have made consumers more informed, more mobile, less private, and more social than ever before.&nbsp;</p>
<p>On the one hand, this new connectivity has been a huge benefit to marketers, who are now able to keep track of customer behavior across a various different platforms, but on the other, many brands still have a long way to go before they are able to offer the kind of personalized, location-based targeting consumers have grown to expect when mobile shopping.</p>
<p>On a website, the key with omnichannel personalization is keeping track of user engagement &ndash; e.g. search queries, clicks and impressions. This is the fundamental data that allows you to build a profile for each online customer. It becomes easy to present a consistent brand message across channels when each channel has access to this historical data.</p>
<p>The challenge with mobile is that, on top of synchronizing a customer&rsquo;s wish list from previous channels, we also need to take into account when and where a customer performs a particular action. Integrating customer data between website browser and mobile device is the foundation of an omnichannel strategy, however to take the mobile experience to the next level we also need to be able to combine present context with past history.</p>
<h3>Creating incentives to leverage customer data&nbsp;</h3>
<p>Marketing teams need to be much more shrewd and creative if they want to impress their mobile customers. However, it&rsquo;s fruitless trying to personalize the experience if the consumer isn&rsquo;t willing to part with their data. So what can we offer as an incentive?</p>
<p>A sure way to get the data you need from mobile customers is by offering an app which requires login details &ndash; this way, wherever they log on (whether on a website or mobile app) all data is linked up between channels.</p>
<p>Guess, for example, launched <a target="_blank" href="http://shop.guess.com/en/guessapp/">their mobile app</a> in early 2014 as a way to forge a closer relationship between the brand and its customers. The concept was essentially a loyalty program where customers serve as brand ambassadors by promoting the products through their social media channels. In return for sharing, they were awarded discounts and rewards that could be redeemed at stores.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/guess-app-iphonescreenshot.png"><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/guess-app-iphonescreenshot_resized.png" style="vertical-align:middle;margin:5px;" height="210" width="450" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>The app collated data about each customer, meaning that Guess could cross-sell products based on previous purchases or promotion responses. Using <a target="_blank" href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/geofencing-for-retailers.aspx?source=print">geo-fencing</a> and deep data analytics, they were also able to offer instant promotions to customers that were immediately relevant based on location and previous purchases. The result was a seamless omnichannel experience that blurred the line between in-store and online shopping.</p>
<h3>Optimizing the path to purchase on mobile devices</h3>
<p>Although the vast majority of retail purchases currently still take place in stores, the purchase decision process is increasingly flowing through smartphones. In addition, a growing number of consumers are now completing the checkout process on smartphones and tablets &ndash; <a target="_blank" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-e-commerce-growth-is-now-far-outpacing-overall-retail-sales-2014-4?IR=T">32 percent</a>, in fact, of online purchases are now made via mobile devices.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Despite this growth in mobile commerce, mobile conversion rates remain at a dismal 3 percent. This is partly to do with the average mobile checkout process requiring around 24 steps, and sometimes even the lack of response design, but there are also other omnichannel factors influencing the path to purchase on mobile. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p><b><i>Bridging online and offline channels</i></b></p>
<p>ResponseTap has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.responsetap.com/us/blog/post/announcing-whitepaper-connecting-online-offline-customer-journey/">found</a> that, despite ever growing trends in digital, the majority of consumers still recognize the value of the human voice. According to their research, 70 percent of respondents still like speaking to an operator on the phone, as it gives them peace of mind and confidence that they are getting exactly what they want.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A big challenge with smartphones is that they are essentially both an online and offline channel, which allow consumers to browse the Web, as well as to call the contact center from the same device. If you want your call center to be integrated into your omnichannel strategy, then you need to have a way to supply your sales rep with the customer data they need as soon as they go to pick up the phone. &nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Call Whispers&rdquo;, is a great piece of software which does just that &ndash; it feeds your contact staff information about how a consumer has been browsing your mobile site or app (e.g. which search terms they entered, which ads and pages they clicked on) allowing them to deliver much more targeted customer service.</p>
<p>The marketer&rsquo;s job: less is more&nbsp;</p>
<p>Today&rsquo;s buyers are entirely self-driven. In fact, according to Rishi Dave, Dell&rsquo;s executive director of global marketing, consumers are already <a target="_blank" href="http://blog.newscred.com/article/sales@newscred.com/b30b982d32d10e0d61216ea3b454b11c">60 percent</a> through their buying journeys by the time they reach out to a company sales reps.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The job of the modern digital marketer is to take a back seat in the customer journey. Allow the consumer to do their own pre-purchase decisions, but be sure to show up in the right places along the journey (should they need a little extra push).</p>
<p>Businesses who manage to walk this fine line &ndash; who offer incentives without being overbearing, and who leverage customer data to go omnichannel &ndash; have a unique opportunity to stand out amongst their competitors. Online retailers must realize that mobile devices are not only tools to drive innovation, but also an ecosystem that can transform customer experiences.</p>
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<p>
Luke Rees is a digital marketing executive from London who writes about technology and trends in the search market industry.</p>
<h4><img style="float:left;" src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/subarrow.png" height="20" width="20" alt="" />&nbsp;<a href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/scripts/sub/email_newsletter.aspx?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_campaign=WMcontent-oct14">Request Website Magazine&#39;s Free Weekly Newsletters&nbsp;</a></h4><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=42224" width="1" height="1">wmfeaturewm-ecommerceomnichannelLuke ReesRakuten Marketing Focuses on the Omni Experiencehttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/09/25/rakuten-marketing-focuses-on-the-omni-experience.aspxThu, 25 Sep 2014 11:15:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:37165Allison Howen0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=37165http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/09/25/rakuten-marketing-focuses-on-the-omni-experience.aspx#comments<hr />
<p><strong>Rakuten Marketing is putting a focus on omni-channel marketing, as the division of Rakuten Inc. is introducing its newly unified and restructured business and branded website.</strong></p>
<p>The new initiative, dubbed the <a target="_blank" href="http://marketing.rakuten.com/">omni experience</a>, maintains Rakuten Marketing&rsquo;s core services including the Rakuten Affiliate Network (formerly LinkShare), Rakuten Attribution (formerly DC Storm), Rakuten Display (formerly MediForge) and Rakuten Search. The omni experience aims to go beyond the operational view of omni-channel marketing by viewing the experience through the eyes of the consumer and displaying the customer experience across all channels so that it is integrated, consistent and can be easily tracked.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The consumer experience has been largely overlooked. Consumers don&rsquo;t perceive your brand in channels; they perceive the overall experience with your brand. Advertisers need to market to consumers during each phase of their sales journey thinking about the best way to influence consumers at each touch point,&rdquo; said Tony Zito, president, Rakuten Marketing. &ldquo;This requires streamlined insights across channels, devices, social networks, and offline performance that enable marketers to make better decisions and drive better performance. Our mission is to inspire better marketing by empowering our clients with uncommon insights and a deeper understanding of the consumer path to purchase, so they can exceed their goals and provide a better consumer experience.&rdquo;</p>
<p>It is important to note that cornerstone to the omni experience is Cadence, the cross-channel reporting platform launched in January, as well as attribution provided by the company&rsquo;s recent acquisition of DC Storm. Through the platform, Cadence provides marketers with a consistent view into real-time performance across marketing communication channels. Moreover, Rakuten Attribution provides deep attribution analytics into specific consumer behaviors and data to drive better performance. With the omni experience, Rakuten Marketing aims to consolidate all channel offerings into a single platform and dashboard for full transparency into the customer funnel, to improve productivity and bridge the gap between processes and profitability.</p>
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<hr /><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=37165" width="1" height="1">Rakutenwm-advertisingomnichannelRakuten Marketingomni experienceMillennials are Changing how Marketers Workhttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/05/15/millennials-changing-how-marketers-work.aspxThu, 15 May 2014 20:30:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:33658DerekS0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=33658http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/05/15/millennials-changing-how-marketers-work.aspx#comments<hr />
<p><strong>Millennials are a tricky generation. They like it when companies make recommendations that make shopping easier (55 percent), but at the same time get chills when companies know what they want before they&rsquo;ve told them (54 percent).</strong></p>
<p><a target="_blank" title="SDL Home Page" href="http://www.sdl.com/">
SDL</a>&nbsp;(who we have <a target="_blank" title="Website Magazine: SDL Lends Customers an Ear" href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/01/21/sdl-lends-customers-an-ear.aspx">previously</a> <a target="_blank" title="Website Magazine: Web Trends Brings a Real-Time Stream of Customer Data to SDL " href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/08/28/web-trends-brings-real-time-customers-insights-to-sdl.aspx">covered</a>)&nbsp;has released part one of a five part study called &ldquo;Five Truths for Future Marketers.&rdquo; Part one, titled &ldquo;<a target="_blank" title="SDL: Campaigns are Extinct" href="http://www.sdl.com/campaign/marketing/WP/Future-of-CX-Five-Truths-for-Tomorrows-Marketers-White-Paper.html">Campaigns are Extinct</a>,&rdquo; explores how millennials react to marketing and why traditional campaign strategies won&rsquo;t get the job done anymore. The study sampled more than 300 millennials in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 36.</p>
<p>
One of the more interesting findings was that five out of six millennials connected with companies on social media networks. <a target="_blank" title="Facebook Home Page" href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>, <a target="_blank" title="Twitter Home Page" href="https://twitter.com/">Twitter</a> and <a target="_blank" title="YouTube Home Page" href="https://www.youtube.com/">YouTube</a> came in as the top three social networks used when doing so. Another intriguing finding was the two main reasons millennials engaged companies, discounts (60 percent) and free perks (55 percent).</p>
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<p>
The finding that stood out the most, however, was that 64 percent of millennials believe that it should feel the same when dealing with a company across all channels. This means that millennials prefer companies who operate using the omnichannel approach as opposed to those who still use the multichannel method.</p>
<p><a title="Enlarged View" href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/sdlphoto.png"><img height="280" width="450" src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/sdl_1.jpg" style="margin:5px;" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>
With the average millennial checking their smartphone 45 times a day, it&rsquo;s clear that they are a digital generation. As they proceed further into their careers and become the generation with the most purchasing power, it is crucial that marketers understand as much as possible about them.</p>
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<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=33658" width="1" height="1">facebooktwitteryoutubeslidesharesdlmultichannelwm-advertisingomnichannel3 Omnichannel Marketing Tips for Retailers http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/02/24/3-omnichannel-marketing-tips-for-retailers.aspxMon, 24 Feb 2014 15:20:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:31385Administrator0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=31385http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/02/24/3-omnichannel-marketing-tips-for-retailers.aspx#comments<p>By Jake Weatherly, CEO of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sheerid.com/">SheerID</a></p>
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<p>Omnichannel marketing strategies are powerful and effective, because they allow retailers and brands to connect with consumers across multiple touch points in a variety of different ways. Traditional marketing rules dictate that it takes a minimum of seven &ldquo;touches&rdquo; to convert a customer. In today&rsquo;s modern marketplace, marketing is not just a numbers game; the quality and delivery of a brand&rsquo;s marketing messages are more important than the sheer quantity. It is more important than ever to meet consumers where and when they are making purchasing decisions with relevant, personalized offers.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here are three tips for retailers who are looking to improve their omnichannel retail marketing strategies:</p>
<h3>1. Embrace mobile technology. </h3>
<p>It&rsquo;s time to do more than merely optimize your e-commerce site for mobile viewing. While that is an important first step, it is critical to expand beyond a mobile version of your website and think about ways to support mobile transactions as well as mobile functionality in stores, whether that means providing self-service options, creating a downloadable app, or arming staff with tablets in stores. Research conducted by Google in May 2013 determined that 84 percent of consumers are using smartphones to help make purchases while they are in a store. Use mobile technology to help shoppers find products, access mobile coupons and discounts, qualify for gated offers, and order out-of-stock items online or for pick up at another store.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>2. Recognize customers across all channels. </h3>
<p>Whether retailers implement a loyalty program that is accessible at any touch point or decide to employ a multi-channel marketing platform like Experian, it is important to be able to recognize individual customers regardless of where they choose to interact with the brand. New technology like shopBeacon, ShopKick&rsquo;s newest mobile technology development, detects an app on a shopper&rsquo;s smartphone, whether the app is open or not, and pushes marketing messages to the customer, enabling retailers like American Eagle and Macy&rsquo;s to incorporate a mobile experience into the brick-and-mortar space. The key to success with these kinds of marketing campaigns is allowing customers to manage the relationship and choose what information and attributes they are willing to exchange for dialed-in recommendations and exclusive offers. Consumers are growing more open to providing personal information in order to receive more value from retailers, as evidenced by the IBM Institute&rsquo;s Business Value Global Consumer Study, which revealed that nearly twice as many customers are willing to share their current GPS location as those surveyed the previous year.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>3. Meet or exceed customer expectations.</h3>
<p>Customers now expect a fully integrated multi-channel experience when they shop. According to an Accenture survey conducted in November 2013, 69 percent of consumers expect pricing in-stores and online to match. Because price comparisons are only a click away, price discrepancies are more obvious than ever. Seventy-five percent of shoppers between the ages of 18 and 34 will compare prices using their mobile devices in-store, so make sure prices are consistent and offer a better value than the competition. Similarly, 57 percent expect promotions and special offers to be consistent across channels. Everyday deals and discounts need to be available across all channels, including small business, nonprofit, military, teacher and student discounts. Verification eligibility platforms can help retailers manage their coupon codes and special offers across channels while also protecting profit by preventing fraud. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Offering consistent pricing and promotions will meet customers&rsquo; expectations, but thinking outside of the box is how you really wow them. For example, Walmart is testing a new grocery shopping pilot program that enables shoppers to place grocery orders online and pick up their groceries in-store. Walmart is also one of the retailers competing with Amazon by introducing same-day delivery in select cities, along with Google, eBay, Nordstrom, and Barnes and Noble. Always an innovator, Amazon is pushing to make instant gratification through online shopping a reality. The top internet retailer recently patented a system of &ldquo;anticipatory package shipping&rdquo;, which would allow Amazon to predict consumer&rsquo;s purchasing behavior using customer data and ship products to nearby fulfillment centers in anticipation of the purchase or directly ship items as gifts to highly valued customers.&nbsp;</p>
<p>By following these tips and taking advantage of advances in technology like verification software, more sophisticated loyalty apps, Bluetooth transmitters, wireless networking, and more, retailers can target their offers and interact with consumers at strategic points throughout today&rsquo;s purchasing process.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>Jake Weatherly is a co-founder and CEO of SheerID, an online shopping cart platform that provides group verification.</p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=31385" width="1" height="1">amazonmacy'smultichannelin-store pickupwm-ecommercesheeridwalmartNordstromomnichannelin-store kiosksJake Weatherlyvertification technologyomnichannel tipscustomer expactationsIBM Institute’s Business Value Global Consumer StudyRetailers' Plans for Digitizing the Store http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/01/24/retailers-plans-for-digitizing-the-store.aspxFri, 24 Jan 2014 15:59:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:30606Amberly Dressler0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=30606http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/01/24/retailers-plans-for-digitizing-the-store.aspx#comments<hr />
<p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nrf.com/">National Retail Federation</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.demandware.com/">Demandware</a> and the University of Arizona recently teamed up to publish, &ldquo;<a target="_blank" href="http://marketing.demandware.com/pdfs/Digitizing_the_Story_Report.pdf">Digitizing the Store, The Next Wave of Online and Offline Convergence</a>&rdquo; to quantify the convergence of POS and e-commerce technology and its impact on digitizing stores.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Close to 250 retailers, primarily in U.S., Germany and U.K., were surveyed as part of the study and what researches found, was that, unsurprisingly, connected consumers (armed with technology and information) are driving change to the retail experience.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Nearly 40 percent of retail executives surveyed now believe that a single platform will simplify the technology environment over the next three years and provide seamless engagement and transactions throughout the shopping journey. In short, many retailers can&rsquo;t keep pace with consumers who use multiple devices and touchpoints to connect with their brands with their existing infrastructure, architecture and applications.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Even though 40 percent of these retailers are considering a single platform to manage customer interactions and transactions, Rob Garf, Demandware VP of Industry Strategy, was somewhat surprised that a third of them are still undecided. He thinks there are two major reasons for their hesitation. The first is that many vendors are still maturing in this area and, secondly, it&rsquo;s hard; it&rsquo;s complex; and it&rsquo;s not like flipping a switch.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The other piece that really stuck out to Garf was that retailers are considering an e-commerce platform at two times the rate than traditional POS.</p>
<p>As for what e-commerce professionals can expect from the same survey next year, Garf anticipates seeing early adopters embracing the single-platform strategy and realizing the value from this approach.</p>
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<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=30606" width="1" height="1">demandwarerob garfwm-ecommerceomnichannelUniversity of ArizonaUnify Offline and Online Sellinghttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/01/15/unify-offline-and-online-selling.aspxWed, 15 Jan 2014 16:48:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:30312Allison Howen0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=30312http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/01/15/unify-offline-and-online-selling.aspx#comments<hr />
<p><strong>Commerce software company LightSpeed has unveiled a new solution for brick-and-mortar retailers who want to sell online.</strong></p>
<p>The solution, called <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lightspeedretail.com/webstore/">LightSpeed Web Store for Cloud</a>, provides retailers with a unified Web-based system for managing sales, inventory and customers both in-store and online. In fact, the point-of-sale system enables retailers to manage their entire business across channels.</p>
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<p>&ldquo;For most brick-and-mortar retailers, having an e-commerce presence is essential. When you have a high volume of inventory, however, adding a new sales channel can quickly make managing stock and sales quite complex,&rdquo; said Dax Dasilva, chief executive officer and founder of LightSpeed. &ldquo;Until now, there hasn&rsquo;t been a system that integrates critical functions like e-commerce, inventory management and point of sale in real-time without sacrificing the functionality that merchants need to support their retail environments. LightSpeed Web Store for Cloud is the single tool that professional retailers need to deliver a true 360 degree view of their business and realize their vision for commerce.&rdquo;</p>
<p>LightSpeed Web Store for Cloud aims to eliminate the challenges associated with managing multiple channels by allowing retailers to view and manage inventory from all selling environments, monitor sales, manage suppliers and track customer preferences from a single dashboard that is accessible both on the traditional Web or from the iPad app. Moreover, the platform&rsquo;s customizable e-commerce templates allow retailers to choose from a variety of themes to easily create an online shopping destination for their customers. It is also important to note that the solution integrates with MailChimp, enabling merchants to collect email addresses and send personalized messages to their customers.</p>
<p><img height="300" width="630" src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/lightspeedwebstore.png" style="vertical-align:middle;margin:5px;" alt="" /></p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=30312" width="1" height="1">wm-ecommerceomnichannellightspeedPOSlightspeed web store for cloudRetailers Find "Suite" Spot in Omnichannel http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/01/14/retailers-find-quot-suite-quot-spot-in-omnichannel.aspxTue, 14 Jan 2014 19:28:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:30294Amberly Dressler1http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=30294http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2014/01/14/retailers-find-quot-suite-quot-spot-in-omnichannel.aspx#comments<hr />
<p>In today&#39;s retail environment, growing your business often depends on meeting the expectations of omnichannel customers. </p>
<p>This starts, according to <a href="http://www.netsuite.com/portal/home.shtml" target="_blank">NetSuite</a> General Manager of Retail Branden Jenkins, with a brand experience that&#39;s relevant and consistent across online, mobile, call center and in-store touchpoints. This is in great part why retailers <a href="http://shop.ibex.com/" target="_blank">Ibex Outdoor Clothing</a>, <a href="http://www.wisteria.com/" target="_blank">Wisteria</a> and <a href="http://www.georgesmusic.com/" target="_blank">George&rsquo;s Music</a> decided to recently employ the cloud-based solution NetSuite SuiteCommerce to run end-to-end omnichannel businesses, from e-commerce, POS, order and inventory management to CRM, analytics and financials.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&quot;NetSuite is an ideal fit that can give us a single customer view across multiple channels as well as efficiency in inventory and order management that&rsquo;s not possible with our current systems,&rdquo; said Andrew Newsom, Wisteria president. &ldquo;With NetSuite we plan to focus our energies on customer service and innovation instead of moving data back and forth and dealing with in-house systems.&rdquo;</p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=30294" width="1" height="1">E-Commerceanalyticsretailersnetsuitefinancialswm-ecommerceomnichannelBranden Jenkinsinventory management to CRMAndrew NewsomGeorge’s MusicWisteriaPOSIbex Outdoor ClothingorderOmnichannel Customer Service Lackshttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/11/30/omnichannel-customer-service-lacks.aspxSat, 30 Nov 2013 12:30:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:29206Allison Howen2http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=29206http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/11/30/omnichannel-customer-service-lacks.aspx#comments<hr />
<p><strong>Nowadays, brands have the ability to reach consumers through a variety of channels and touchpoints. While this is good for marketing initiatives, brands can actually end up frustrating consumers if they don&rsquo;t offer a consistent experience across channels.</strong></p>
<p>In fact, a recent <a target="_blank" href="http://www.zendesk.com/resources/omnichannel-customer-service-report">global Zendesk study</a> reveals that 73 percent of consumers think companies are paying more attention to generating sales across channels than they are in delivering a consistent customer experience. The study&rsquo;s data suggests that consumers have pretty high standards when it comes to what they expect from an omnichannel customer service experience. For example, 37 percent of the respondents said they increasingly expect to be able to contact the same customer service representative regardless of the channel they use, while 47 percent expect to be able to return items through a different channel than the one they purchased from. Unfortunately, just 7 percent of the survey respondents claim to be extremely satisfied with the omnichannel customer service experience they&rsquo;ve received.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The customer journey doesn&rsquo;t end at checkout,&rdquo; said J.D. Peterson, vice president of marketing at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.zendesk.com/">Zendesk</a>. &ldquo;Brands are failing to match their omnichannel efforts in sales with their customer service experiences. To meet the demands of today&rsquo;s consumers, they need to create seamless customer service across every channel.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Because of poor service, many consumers are turning to phone support when they need assistance. For instance, 71 percent of consumers will use the phone if an email is left unanswered, while 55 percent of consumers will do the same if a social media request isn&rsquo;t answered. If the phone is also unanswered, 54 percent admit to calling back a second time. Moreover, 54 percent of consumers use the phone as their first point of contact for support, due to the perception that it has the quickest response time.</p>
<p>Other data from the study sheds light on omnichannel shopping trends throughout the globe, revealing that U.S. consumers are actually the least likely to use multiple channels for a purchase. In fact, just 51 percent of Americans reported using multiple channels when making a purchase in the last six months, which is significantly lower than the worldwide average of 67 percent. Conversely, 86 percent of Brazilian consumers admit to using multiple channels when making a purchase.</p>
<p>That said, rewards programs and reputation rank higher for U.S. consumers than shoppers in other countries, with 71 percent of Americans believing that being rewarded for purchases, feedback and referrals is important, compared to the global average of 66 percent. It is also important to note that 84 percent of U.S. shoppers consider a company&rsquo;s reputation for customer service as being important, compared to 78 percent of consumers worldwide.</p>
<p><img height="368" width="603" src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/zendeskcustservice.png" style="vertical-align:middle;margin:5px;" alt="" /></p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=29206" width="1" height="1">marketingzendeskcustomer servicewmfeaturewm-advertisingomnichannelOmnichannel and the Importance of Order Managementhttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/11/26/omni-channel-and-the-importance-of-order-management.aspxTue, 26 Nov 2013 14:47:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:29112Pete Prestipino0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=29112http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/11/26/omni-channel-and-the-importance-of-order-management.aspx#comments<p><strong>A new report from OrderDynamics indicates that cross-channel fulfillment programs such as pickup in-store, ship-to-store and ship-from-store are being prioritized over other omnichannel tactics like &quot;single view of the customer&quot; and cross-channel loyalty programs.&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>The study found that in-store pickup options provide retailers with greater in-store traffic and new opportunities for more cross-selling.&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>26 percent of retailers in the United States and 47 percent of retailers in Europe already have ship-from-store capabilities, while 10 percent and 18 percent respectively soon plan to enable this offering.</li>
<li>23 percent of retailers already have a buy-online, pickup-in-store program in place. Likewise, 20 percent have a reserve-only pickup-in-store program. According to the study results, these store pickup numbers are set to almost triple in the next 12 months.</li>
<li>63 percent of retailers surveyed indicated that gaining a competitive advantage over online pure-play retailers by leveraging their stores assets (inventory, shipping cost efficiencies and reduced delivery times) was a primary driver for investing in omnichannel initiatives.</li>
<li>Retailers already (or expect to) fulfill an average of 35 percent of online orders from their retail stores.</li>
</ul>
<p>OrderDynamics was recently listed as one of Website Magazine&#39;s <a href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/08/16/etail-movers-amp-shakers.aspx">10 Leaders of Today&#39;s Net Retail Experience</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>More on OrderDynamics</strong></p>
<p>- <a href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/ecommerce/archive/2013/07/29/snapshot-of-reserve-online-pick-up-in-store-feature.aspx">Snapshot of OrderDynamics&#39; Reserve Online, Pickup In Store Feature</a></p>
<p>- <a href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2012/07/30/order-dynamics-merchant-lets-users-shops-socially.aspx">Order Dynamics Lets Users Shop Socially</a></p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=29112" width="1" height="1">OrderDynamicswmfeaturewm-ecommerceomnichannelOmnichannel Retailers Barrel Over Pure-Play Etailershttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/11/20/omnichannel-retailers-barrel-over-pure-play-etailers.aspxWed, 20 Nov 2013 15:35:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:28999Amberly Dressler0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=28999http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/11/20/omnichannel-retailers-barrel-over-pure-play-etailers.aspx#comments<hr />
<p>Heading into Thanksgiving Day week, retailers are racing to meet the challenges of changing consumer expectations. And nobody is doing it better than Crate&amp;Barrel &ndash; at least out of OpinionLab&rsquo;s clients, which includes half of the Fortune 50 organizations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Published quarterly, OpinionLab&#39;s Customer Feedback Index (CFI) report provides insight into top customer experience trends across industries and touchpoints, including Web, mobile and physical locations.</p>
<p>Crate&amp;Barrel&rsquo;s CFI score of 940 over the course of the third quarter easily tops in the retail sector among the highest scores posted by any OpinionLab client.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;border:1px solid black;margin:5px;" src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/crateandbarrel-screenshot.png" width="450" height="375" alt="" />According to OpinionLab, Crate&amp;Barrel&rsquo;s brand essence has translated perfectly to the omnichannel era more than 50 years after opening its first store. Its clean and intuitive website (shown here with an modal pop-up for email sign-ups which is proven to <a href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/10/15/shopping-cart-abandonment-and-digital-retail-recovery.aspx" target="_blank">grow email lists</a>), convenient mobile site and elegant stores combine seamlessly to provide a thoughtful and well-executed home furnishings shopping experience.</p>
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<p>Crate&amp;Barrel&rsquo;s high score reflects similar findings of the CFI report, mainly customers&#39; propensity toward omnichannel retailers over pure-play etailers. For example, ominchannel retailers outperform etail competitors in 5 of 7 key functional areas including product search and product information.</p>
<p>&quot;This data indicates that there is indeed such a thing as an omnichannel advantage emerging in the run-up to Holiday 2013,&quot; said Jonathan Levitt, CMO at OpinionLab. &quot;Greater flexibility on the fulfillment front in the form of store pickup and ship-to-store options allows omnichannel retail brands to help shoppers avert the annoyance of online shipping fees. Traditional retailers also put the resources and human capital of their stores to use by allowing shoppers to conveniently return online purchases to any store location. These evolutionary steps have certainly helped to boost omnichannel retail from a customer experience standpoint.&quot;</p>
<p>Here are other key findings of the Holiday Preview Customer Feedback Index (CFI) Report:</p>
<p>**Omnichannel retailers posted an average CFI score of 445 versus etailers&#39; average CFI score of 391, showing strength and resilience when it comes to customer satisfaction and loyalty.</p>
<p>**Ominchannel retailers outperform etail competitors in 5 of 7 key functional areas including product search and product information.&nbsp;</p>
<p>**Omnichannel retailers dominate checkout with a Functional Mean Rating (FMR) score of 3.69 out of 5 versus 3.2 for etailers.</p>
<p>**Etailers have a slight edge over omnichannel retailers in account management (FMR score of 2.55 versus 2.44) and information (FMR score of 3.07 versus 3.03).</p>
<p>**Both etailers and omnichannel retailers are better at providing detailed product information than search functionality, indicating an ongoing challenge for shoppers who want to find what they are looking for.</p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=28999" width="1" height="1">wm-ecommerceomnichannelOpinionLabetailersHoliday Preview Customer Feedback Index ReportCrate&amp;BarrelJonathan LevittExchange Platform from eBay One to Watchhttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/09/25/exchange-platform-from-ebay-one-to-watch.aspxWed, 25 Sep 2013 12:40:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:27633Pete Prestipino0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=27633http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/09/25/exchange-platform-from-ebay-one-to-watch.aspx#comments<p><strong>At its annual client summit yesterday, eBay introduced a new suite of commerce-focused technologies for <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ebayenterprise.com/">eBay Enterprise</a> that help merchants focus on omnichannel operations and marketing solutions.</strong>
<br /><br />
The &quot;Exchange Platform&quot; offers retailers back-end capabilities, including distributed order management, omnichannel inventory management, payment processing, fraud management and reporting. The Exchange Platform is pre-integrated with Magento, eBay Marketplaces and PayPal.
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eBay Enterprises Interfaces and Tools module services as the front-end, a commerce storefront solution for retailers to create &quot;...experiences across devices, locations, users, geographies and brands,&quot; said Chris Saridakis, president of eBay Enterprise.
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&ldquo;Retailers and brands understand the importance of having industry-leading capabilities across their entire value chain to support a new retail environment where consumers demand consistent, seamless and personalized experiences anywhere, at any time,&rdquo; said Saridakis. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been singularly focused on being a strategic growth partner to our clients, and our new suite of modular commerce technologies will give our clients a competitive edge in this rapidly changing retail landscape.&rdquo;
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<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=27633" width="1" height="1">ebaywm-ecommerceomnichannelSnapshot of Reserve Online, Pick Up In-Store Featurehttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/07/29/snapshot-of-reserve-online-pick-up-in-store-feature.aspxMon, 29 Jul 2013 13:53:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:26570Amberly Dressler0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=26570http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/07/29/snapshot-of-reserve-online-pick-up-in-store-feature.aspx#comments<hr />
<p>Providing the most convenient and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2012/12/08/multichannel-retailing-in-focus.aspx">seamless omnichannel shopping experience</a> is quickly becoming one of the top ways that retailers can compete against the low-bottom pricing that most <a target="_blank" href="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2012/05/09/the-top-10-comparison-shopping-engines-compared.aspx">comparison shopping engines</a> feature. </p>
<p>For the most part, consumers still want to pick up (or feel) products before purchasing. According to Econsultancy&rsquo;s report &ldquo;How the Internet can save the High Street&rdquo;, 80 percent of people surveyed had reserved items online to collect in store, showing its popularity. </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.henrys.com/">Henry&rsquo;s Camera</a>, Canada&rsquo;s largest independent retailer with 100-plus years of experience selling high-end cameras and photo imaging accessories, is leveraging on-demand commerce platform provider <a target="_blank" href="http://www.orderdynamics.com/Frontend-Enablement.aspx">OrderDynamics</a> to offer its customers a variety of fulfillment options to support their own growing omnichannel commerce strategy and operations. </p>
<p>To stay dominant in the digital age, Henry&rsquo;s recently launched &ldquo;Reserve Online Pickup In-Store&rdquo; functionality through its website, Henrys.com.
</p>
<p>Henry&rsquo;s customers are now able research products online and reserve that product at the most convenient location in a few simple steps (add to cart, select store nearest them and enter contact information). </p>
<p>Additionally, this tool is calibrated to automatically calculate local taxes and provide a complete order total, giving the customer an instant and transparent order summary. Since Henry&rsquo;s sells high-end products, its customers may have more questions about warranties and maintenance. With the &ldquo;Reserve Online Pickup In-Store&rdquo; capability, customers can now engage with Henry&rsquo;s expert in-store associates and receive advice when picking up their reserved products from the stores.</p>
<p>Henry&rsquo;s staff can also view online and in-store purchasing history and behavior profiles of its customers to help understand preferences or make appropriate upsell and cross-sell recommendations during the in-store pickup portion of the sale. In addition, Henry&rsquo;s anticipates reduced shipping costs for its online customers who choose to take advantage of its new in-store pickup offering.</p>
<p><img style="vertical-align:middle;border:1px solid black;margin:5px;" src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/images/blog/Henrys_reserve.in.png" width="503" height="386" alt="" /></p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=26570" width="1" height="1">OrderDynamicswm-ecommerceomnichannelHenry's CameraPet Industry Goes Wild for NetSuitehttp://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/07/25/pet-industry-goes-wild-for-netsuite.aspxThu, 25 Jul 2013 18:55:00 GMT1e469e21-c924-44fa-a132-47b5d0a8ad47:26525Allison Howen0http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/rsscomments.aspx?PostID=26525http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/07/25/pet-industry-goes-wild-for-netsuite.aspx#comments<hr />
<p><strong>The pet industry is a $53 billion market (<a href="http://media.americanpetproducts.org/press.php?include=144263" target="_blank">and growing</a>), but with 2.5 million unique visitors heading to <a href="https://siteanalytics.compete.com/petco.com/" target="_blank">Petco.com</a>&nbsp;and even more (3.7 million)&nbsp;<a href="https://siteanalytics.compete.com/petsmart.com/" target="_blank">going to PetSmart.com</a>, it&#39;s tough for independent pet companies to stand out on the Web, or elsewhere. </strong></p>
<p><strong>For this reason, several pet retailers, manufacturers and distributors have flocked to NetSuite, finding success with the company&rsquo;s cloud-based commerce system.</strong></p>
<p>Ruffwear, Dog Is Good, Pup-Pee Solutions, P.L.A.Y. and Happy Jack leveraged <a href="http://www.netsuite.com/portal/home.shtml" target="_blank">NetSuite</a>&rsquo;s integrated suite of business management software to provide a better customer experience to prospects across channels. NetSuite offers ominchannel B2B and B2C sales, financials, inventory and order management, manufacturing and CRM functionality. The platform helps companies serve their customers better because it allows anytime access to real-time data on sales, profitability, inventory, suppliers, customers and more. In addition, NetSuite cloud eliminates issues like IT maintenance and troubleshooting so that users can focus on other areas, like inventory, expanding their brand and delivering a great omnichannel customer experience across websites, call centers, direct sales and other touchpoints. In other words, NetSuite allows these brands to compete with, well, the big dogs.&nbsp;</p>
<p>NetSuite not only helped <a href="http://www.dogisgood.com/site/index.html" target="_blank">Dog is Good</a>, <a href="http://www.ruffwear.com/" target="_blank">RuffWear</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thepetloo.com/" target="_blank">Pup-Pee Solutions</a>&nbsp;and <a target="_blank" href="http://happyjackinc.com/">Happy Jack</a> increase efficiency and expand their brands into new markets, but also assisted <a href="http://www.petplay.com/#next" target="_blank">Pet Lifestyle And You (P.L.A.Y.)</a> achieve 70 percent year-over-year growth since it launched its business on NetSuite&rsquo;s platform in 2010.</p>
<p>It is important to note that since NetSuite provides real-time business information that is available at any time, users can avoid delays of piecing data together from a variety of applications and instead make business decisions efficiently. Check out some additional benefits of the cloud-based platform:</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;">-<span> </span>Users can improve supply chain operations with integrated inventory and order management. Plus, they can build demand forecasts with real-time data, which reduces excess inventory or the risk of stock outs.</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;">-<span> </span>The platform provides a real-time, 360-degree view of a user&rsquo;s business by integrating financials / ERP, CRM and e-commerce. This allows businesses to manage their interactions directly with consumers, other businesses and trading partners.</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;">-<span> </span>NetSuite allows data to flow to wholesale distributors and their trading partners, in order to ensure communication is in sync with the same data, audit trails and real-time accuracy at every stage.</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;">-<span> </span>Enables stakeholders to share container, pallet, location, forecasting, scheduling and unit-level data while collaborating on a common cloud platform.</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px;">-<span> </span>Allows users to manage all transactions and associated customer interactions regardless of touchpoint.</p>
<p>&quot;NetSuite customers in the pet goods industry are no longer losing out on growth opportunities in fragmented environments of stovepiped applications,&rdquo; said Roman Bukary, NetSuite VP and GM of manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re gratified to see so many pet goods companies thrive in the pet goods sector by taking advantage of the benefits of cloud ERP, CRM and Ecommerce.&rdquo;</p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/aggbug.aspx?PostID=26525" width="1" height="1">netsuitewm-ecommerceomnichannelpet retailers